Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[Neomys Sapiens]

OK good find, can't believe nobody else thought about diodes... now it's only all too predictable that in 2 months someone will post a picture of a 1N4148...    and if nobody does I WILL !

I had hoped (in vain, obviously) that no one would pester us with such pedestrian components. Keep that plastic crap out of here!

[xrunner]

So yesterday my hp 437B power meter started to show errors in the readings. The CAL output read -6.7 dBm instead of 0.0 dBm. All the readings from my signal generator were also off by that much. In addition, it would not calibrate using the built-in CAL function. I got "CAL ERROR" every time I tried it.

I did notice that some fluctuations in the reading would occur when I tapped the meter case. I didn't find any adjustment that I thought would correct it, so I started inspecting the PCBs. Oh my what did I find?

Pin 10 of J4 has a pin untouched by solder! Not a weak or cracked joint - no solder at all. This J4 connector is where the sensor signals go through - both stimulation and response. Pin 10 and pin 9 supply the 220 Hz drive to the sensor. When I pushed on pin 10 where it entered the PCB while powered on, the error went away. Somebody was in a hurry inspecting this one! So for all these years it was working by merely touching the hole plating. I probably disturbed it just enough to disrupt the conductivity when I disconnected the plug to remove the front panel.

I soldered the pin and also touched-up the other ones. Now it's working correctly again. So inspect those boards when you get new TEA, never know what you'll find.

[Robert763]

Who was looking for a ex-MOD AVO 8 BD?

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/334135989985?

[Vince]

OK good find, can't believe nobody else thought about diodes... now it's only all too predictable that in 2 months someone will post a picture of a 1N4148...    and if nobody does I WILL !

I had hoped (in vain, obviously) that no one would pester us with such pedestrian components. Keep that plastic crap out of here!

Easy, easy there ! .... or else I send my tellermine your way, watch out !!!

[Neomys Sapiens]

Rats. Low ball offer for a toothpick knife was not accepted ...

This is all you need.

Incidentally, I had just a look at the offers at a Finnish toolmonger in order to see what's worth bringing back from there. Sissipuukko M95 made the list.

And yes, my company is preparing another adventure holiday for me. Unfortunately this time no squirrel taxi is involved. An early onset of winter could save me for now, but in the spring those pesky moskitoes will be back. What were those people thinking to settle in an arctic swamp? Oh, maybe that's because no one else wanted them around because of their language...

[Neomys Sapiens]

Who was looking for a ex-MOD AVO 8 BD?

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/334135989985?

That was me. And that is EXACTLY the model I was talking about. Although I had hoped for a working one. Actually I lost bidding on one last weekend.

[tautech]

So yesterday my hp 437B power meter started to show errors in the readings. The CAL output read -6.7 dBm instead of 0.0 dBm. All the readings from my signal generator were also off by that much. In addition, it would not calibrate using the built-in CAL function. I got "CAL ERROR" every time I tried it.

I did notice that some fluctuations in the reading would occur when I tapped the meter case. I didn't find any adjustment that I thought would correct it, so I started inspecting the PCBs. Oh my what did I find?

Pin 10 of J4 has a pin untouched by solder! Not a weak or cracked joint - no solder at all. This J4 connector is where the sensor signals go through - both stimulation and response. Pin 10 and pin 9 supply the 220 Hz drive to the sensor. When I pushed on pin 10 where it entered the PCB while powered on, the error went away. Somebody was in a hurry inspecting this one! So for all these years it was working by merely touching the hole plating. I probably disturbed it just enough to disrupt the conductivity when I disconnected the plug to remove the front panel.

I soldered the pin and also touched-up the other ones. Now it's working correctly again. So inspect those boards when you get new TEA, never know what you'll find.

Good work Sherlock ! 

[Neomys Sapiens]

On Ebay.de is a cheap DEFECTIVE Analogic 2020 polynomial waveform synthesizer on offer.
Although the description did provide for thoughts - wtf does the seller mean by 'Festplatte' (hard disk)? The fan? Externally good condition - could be trivial - or not. Anyway, I have a working 2020 (and a 2045) and will not take on it. Remind that nobody has found a service manual yet.

https://www.ebay.de/itm/154591814368

Added to my watchlist. Maybe I'll bid on this...

Reasonable given their usefulness and scarcity. At least I could provide cross-testing.

[tautech]

Just scored a clean 100MHz TDS2012B in good condition for not much cash. No I'm not keeping it 

How much would a TPS2024 go for these days?

Stupid money. £450 to 1520 looking at eBay.

Then again they are somewhat more specialized !

Certainly they are, another fine example of hobbling the real power of a DSO with bugger all mem depth. 

[Robert763]

Who was looking for a ex-MOD AVO 8 BD?

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/334135989985?

That was me. And that is EXACTLY the model I was talking about. Although I had hoped for a working one. Actually I lost bidding on one last weekend.

It might be an easy fix like the cut-out or reverse switch, but then again it could be a open circuit movement.

[bd139]

Worst case you can stick a light bulb on the top and bounce it for £200

[mnementh]

Rats. Low ball offer for a toothpick knife was not accepted ...

Won't be bidding more than 2300 quid.

@mnem: one for you.

https://www.messerkoenig.at/produkt/bathleth/

this is actually made from D2 steel, dew-picked and flown from Iraq, cleansed in the finest quality spring water, ...

Mmmhmmm... it does give me a bit of a nerd-boner; a bat'leth out of combat-ready steel is definitely drool-worthy.

But this one's kindof small, even for a short summitch like myself. Also, I never exactly cared for the patina D2 develops if you don't lavish attention on it; especially compared to the bright-white of the aluminum that the blades in the show bore. 

And that must be a heavy summitch out of 5mm steel, even at 99cm...     I made a show-authentic prop of .160 al plate as a teen, and it was a handful; the momentum was like a bastard,  almost like a Claymore. Nowadays I'm so out of shape and such a klutz I'd probably kneecap myself even with a blunted one like that.

mnem
*sigh*

I always thought you were older than 47
 

That's just his cynicism, he's relatively young himself. 

However, my cynicism can remember when Victoria was just a wee slip of a girl not the 2nd longest reigning British monarch, so who am I to comment?

Mmmhmmmm... lessee... I was still working at Belmore's, and I quit there to concentrate on my schoolwork in 91-92... so yeah, twenty-mumble-mumble.  Still... that was like three lifetimes ago. *sigh*

mnem
"You're only killin' time, but time will kill you right back..."

[bd139]

TDS210 £60. Any takers?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Tektronix-TDS210-60MHz-Oscilloscope-/284436857223?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l6249&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

I’m giving away profit here. Mostly because I’m stacked with scopes I don’t want already 

Edit: going rate on sales is £140/150. That's £75 at least I'm giving away here 

[Specmaster]

Who was looking for a ex-MOD AVO 8 BD?

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/334135989985?

Personally, I'd think long and hard about this meter, it has by the look of it been futzed with inside as can be seen in the photo below, the meter has almost certainly been removed and refitted incorrectly as the top part of the number 5 (midscale) is partially blocked by part of the meter mounting spacer. The 2nd photo shows how it should look.

[shakalnokturn]

TDS210 £60. Any takers?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Tektronix-TDS210-60MHz-Oscilloscope-/284436857223?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l6249&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

I’m giving away profit here. Mostly because I’m stacked with scopes I don’t want already 

Edit: going rate on sales is £140/150. That's £75 at least I'm giving away here 

Nah! It only has 2.5k memory, tautech will complain again and I'm also in your situation scope wise

[mnementh]

Just scored a clean 100MHz TDS2012B in good condition for not much cash. No I'm not keeping it        Talking of which the TBS is going on ebay this weekend.

2.5K kpts depth...? *blerk and a half*

mnem
*huggles his MegaZoom close*

[shakalnokturn]

Just scored a clean 100MHz TDS2012B in good condition for not much cash. No I'm not keeping it 

How much would a TPS2024 go for these days?

Why do you ask? Got one to spare?

Should have soon it's on the way. I'm already considering rebuilding the batteries, playing with it a few hours to test the run time and reselling it.
Want one?

[Specmaster]

TDS210 £60. Any takers?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Tektronix-TDS210-60MHz-Oscilloscope-/284436857223?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l6249&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

I’m giving away profit here. Mostly because I’m stacked with scopes I don’t want already 

Edit: going rate on sales is £140/150. That's £75 at least I'm giving away here 

Look no more its already gone...its mine, its a flipper to help towards covering some recent car expenses. 
Thanks for the heads-up 

[bd139]

Yeah easy money - fingers crossed for you. I bought the other TDS off that seller earlier and they shipped it already 

Re crap scopes. I can get them cheap via attention. Other people with less attention want them for more money. Who am I to judge? 

[tautech]

TDS210 £60. Any takers?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Tektronix-TDS210-60MHz-Oscilloscope-/284436857223?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l6249&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

I’m giving away profit here. Mostly because I’m stacked with scopes I don’t want already 

Edit: going rate on sales is £140/150. That's £75 at least I'm giving away here 

Nah! It only has 2.5k memory, tautech will complain again and I'm also in your situation scope wise

Just playing with my SDS1104X-E and the new beta FW ......

[bd139]

Yeah that's a proper scope.

I don't know why anyone would buy anything but those Siglents new now unless you need to go up a couple of levels of super-power.

[mnementh]

   Turd alert: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/144183943698

Well, sure they said it was connected to an 8Ω load... but not that both sides were connected. 

mnem
 

[bd139]

Perhaps the load blew the current and smoothing controls off the front shortly before this picture was taken

[shakalnokturn]

Just scored a clean 100MHz TDS2012B in good condition for not much cash. No I'm not keeping it        Talking of which the TBS is going on ebay this weekend.

2.5Kpts depth...? *blerk and a half*

mnem
*huggles his MegaZoom close*

They're even worse than that they have 2.5k points! Having 2.5K points would feel slightly better at least on the marketing side of things.

[Vince]

Just scored a clean 100MHz TDS2012B in good condition for not much cash. No I'm not keeping it        Talking of which the TBS is going on ebay this weekend.

2.5Kpts depth...? *blerk and a half*

mnem
*huggles his MegaZoom close*

They're even worse than that they have 2.5k points! Having 2.5K points would feel slightly better at least on the marketing side of things.

What are you all complaining about.. .that fancy TPS2024 you all are drooling over, is not better ! 

OK yes I too couldn't believe Tek put so little memory on these scopes, and thought so even when they were brand new in 1997 when we received them at school.... a super fancy scope at 1GS/s.. but only 2.5K of memory ?! The Tek series 2000 we had, 10 years older, were already better equipped than that, at 4K !